Problems with Chinese water
dragons- FAQ

I get a lot of E-mail from dragon
owners who are having problems with their dragons. These problems range from a
dragon not eating for a few days, to dragons that truly seems ill since they
are inactive, not eating, and not drinking.

I've made up this general
questionnaire for those of you who have concerns about your dragon. Some of the
questions may apply, others may not, but if you are having problems with your
dragon ask yourself some of the questions that I have listed throughout this
document, read some of the answers and see if you can apply some of the
suggestions throughout this page to your dragon and its care.

Once you have read this page you
may write to me with more questions about your dragons condition (give me as
much detail as you can and I will try to help), but remember if you are
concerned about your dragon and think that it might be ill please take it to a
qualified reptile vet. Do not wait for a home remedy as once a reptile acts ill
it is usually very ill and there is little time but to take it to a vet. :(

Sometimes gravid female dragons
stop eating in the last month or so before laying eggs... Please see the
Breeding page for more information.

3. What have you been feeding your dragon?

(crickets, mealworms, king
mealworms, pinkies, wax worms, earthworms, feeder fish ...) Please see the
Diet, and the Importance of
Whole prey food items page for more information about proper diet.

4. Are you supplementing the dragons diet with calcium and
vitamins?

5. Have you been varying the diet, or have you been feeding
your dragon mainly one type of food exclusively?

The dragon could simply be tired
of that kind of food ie if you've been feeding it crickets for months it may
stop eating from sheer boredom with the diet- try offering other types of food
items and see if the dragon has any interest in something new.

6. Is your dragon drinking?

Dragons can go for a while
without food but they wont last long without water- If your dragon isn't
drinking take it to a reptile vet ASAP. You may also be interested in reading
the dehydration in reptiles page.

7. Is it possible that your dragon is sick?

Check the dragons body over
carefully- look for bumps or swellings, check the snout for damage (could be
infected if he's been banging it), check inside the mouth for reddened areas,
swelling, white cheesy material (pus)... Check the vent for swelling, redness,
caked stool... check the whole body for anything that you think might be
abnormal.

The dragon might have an injured
area (snout comes to mind for some reason) that might now be infected- if it is
infected the infection might become systemic, if it does, or has, then your
dragon may experience appetite loss, become lethargic, his colour might change
as well ie brown... If you think the dragon has an infection, or if he hasn't
eaten for close to a week then you should definitely take him to a reptile vet
ASAP.

If your dragon is not eating it
may not pass any stool, but it is possible that your dragon has eaten something
that has lodged in it's digestive tract and cannot eat or pass stool because of
this. If you are using a substrate such as bark, gravel, loose bedding material
ie shavings, moss, or Astro-turf that has not had it's edges bound or melted
then it is quite possible that the dragon might have accidentally ingested some
of the substrate and become impacted. If you suspect that your dragon is
impacted take it to the vet ASAP.

9. Have you ever taken your dragon to a reptile vet for a check
up and had his stool checked for parasites?

Most water dragons sold in pet
shops are wild caught or farm bred, and they are often infected with parasites.
Captive bred dragons could also have parasites if they have been housed with
untreated wild caught herps or if the same cleaning equipment or feeding
utensils are used for infected and uninfected herps in a collection.

If the dragon has a heavy load
of parasites he may lose his appetite and become ill- if you haven't had his
stool checked you should! Take a fresh sample (less than 24 hours) to the vet
to be checked. please see Parasites and antiparasitic
medications.

1. What kind of enclosure, and what size of enclosure do you
have your dragon in?

An adult dragon 24 inches or
greater in size needs to have an enclosure that is at least 3 feet long (4 or
more preferred), 3 feet high (5 or more preferred), and 2.5 to 3 feet deep. If
a dragon is housed in an enclosure that is too small it will bang it's snout
frequently, damaging it, perhaps become stressed in the too small cage, and
possibly become ill. Please see the Enclosures of water
dragons page for more information.

Many people keep their dragons
in glass aquariums- unfortunately dragons don't seem to recognize glass and end
up repeatedly banging their snouts on the glass- if this behaviour is allowed
to continue then the dragon will likely get an infection in it's snout. There
are many dragons out there missing teeth and parts of their jaw from this
damaging behaviour. :( Please read Snout damage and how to
prevent it

Dragons that seem to do the
best are kept in fairly large enclosures, and enclosures that have 3 sides made
out of a wood or non see through material.

2. Are you changing the water daily?

The water should be changed
when the dragon defecates in it- so at least once a day in most cases. You may
set your dragon up with a permanent pool that is filtered- but water will
likely still have to be changed every 5 to 7 days depending upon your
filtration system and the area of water available to the dragons.

3. How are you heating the cage?

Basking lights, ceramic heaters,
and human heating pads are all good sources of heat for your dragon. Heaters
can be set up on a dimmer or a thermostat to help regulate the temperature in
the enclosure.

4. What are the day time temps, night time temps?

Day time temperatures should be
between 84 F and 88 F (28.8 C - 31.1 C), and night time temperatures should be
between 75 F and 80 F (23.8 C - 26.6 C) The cage should be set up so that one
side is cooler than the other ie one side is 84 F during the day and the hotter
side is 88 F during the day, with a basking spot that is up to 92 or 93
F.

5. What is the humidity in the cage?

The humidity should be as much
as 80%, but most people have trouble achieving such a high humidity, so I'd
have to say that if you can keep the humidity between 60% and 80% then you are
doing just fine. :) Misting once or twice a day, live potted plants or a
substrate of potting soil all help to keep the humidity up.

6. What kind of substrate are you using?

Substrates that seem to cause
the least problems with dragons seem to be astroturf with bound or melted edges
so that the tufts cant come off, sterilized potting soil, newspapers or paper
towels. Substrates such as moss, shavings, bark, and gravel all seem to cause
impaction problems- whether the dragon accidentally eats the substrate or eats
some out of curiosity- if it is ingested and gets lodged in the digestive
tract. Some people are quite successful keeping their dragons on these last
mentioned substrates- but when I hear about impaction problems these substrates
are often listed as the culprit so be warned.

Substrates that are made of pine
or cedar (especially cedar) are toxic to most herps- don't use them!

7. How are you lighting the cage? Are you using a UVB
fluorescent tube?

If not you should be- or else
you should be getting him outside daily for some sunlight. UVB light is
important because it helps the dragon produce the vitamin D3 which in turn
helps the dragon use the calcium in his diet properly. If he doesn't have a UVB
light or access to sunlight then he could end up with a calcium deficiency.
Please see Calcium Deficiency in herbivore and
omnivorous reptiles and the the metabolic bone disease
page for more info on what kind of illness your dragon might get if it
doesn't have the right kind of lighting and or an improper diet. The UVB
fluorescent tube should be no more than 18 inches away from your dragon and
there shouldn't be glass or plexiglass between the dragon and the light or else
the UVB rays won't be effective.

Regular lighting and UVB
lighting can be hooked up to a timer so that they will only be on for 10 to 14
hours a day depending upon the season.

8. Is your dragon housed with any other herps?

The dragon might be being
intimidated by another dragon or herp that you have in the enclosure.

9. Do you have any other pets (dog or cat) that might be
stressing him out?

New pets will often go through
a period of not eating, acting frightened or stressed when they first come into
the home. Give your pet a week or two to adjust. If your dragon hasn't eaten
for approx a week and it's new to your home you may want to take it to the vet
for a check up to make sure that it is healthy though. :) You should read the
Behaviour of Water dragons page for more information
about taming and handling of your new dragon.

If you are thinking of getting another dragon or if you are
housing a new dragon with other herps or another dragon you should read the
Reptile Quarantine page!

Hopefully this FAQ will help some
of you out. :) Remember, if you are concerned about your dragon then go to the
vet! It's true that not all problems require a vets intervention- but if you
are concerned and think your dragon might be ill it's better to take your
dragon to a reptile vet to ease your own mind at the very least. :)

This book is a guide for owners of
reptiles and amphibians who feed insects and other live foods to their pets.
Advice is offered for selecting , ordering and raising your own supply of live
invertebrate foods. More than a dozen species of live foods are discussed. The
book includes instructions on keeping cultures of insects, and recipes &
diets for insects.